Harry Potter and a Philosophy of Magic
by gonziboss
Summary: Highly AU. Summary: Magic is a mistery, a puzzle waiting to be solved. It is the essence, the answer but especially The question. Why magic? Why us? Join me in this adventure, Mr. Potter, and let us find out the most important questions of the universe: What? How? Why?. Rating might change later in the story.


**Summary: Magic is a mistery, a puzzle waiting to be solved. It is the essence, the answer but specially it is the question. Why magic? Why us? Join me on this adventure, Mr. Potter, and let us find out the most important questions of the universe: What? How? Why?**

"_Magic, Mr. Potter, that is the answer to everything."_

"Tell me, Harry Potter, have you ever had any weird things happening around you? When you were sad, or angered? Most wizards, such as yourself, experience what we call 'accidental magic' the closer they get to their eleventh birthday. Strong emotions, such as anger, or sadness tend to be the catalysts for these 'accidents'. Wizards have always known, that the older you get, the more your magic grows up to a certain point. Can you guess which one, Harry Potter?"

"Err… adulthood?"

"Indeed. Wizards, however, are rather peculiar on what adulthood entails. Magic, for some reason, which hopefully you will be learning when you grow older, loves prime numbers; three, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-three and so on. While muggles, which are people without magic, consider their adulthood to being at the tender years of eighteen, we wizards reach magical maturity at seventeen, which basically entails that our magical core has stabilized enough and therefore no bouts of accidental magic will ever happen again."

"And what happens at the other ages? What happens when you turn seven, or eleven?"

"Wizards start with a certain amount of magic in their blood from the moment they are born. These different ages serve to further increase the magic, and stabilize it. When a wizard turns three, they have enough magic for small bouts of accidental magic, while at eleven, they are now able to utilize their magic in a conscious way, which is why formal magical education starts at eleven."

"oh! So that means I get to start my magical education?"

"Indeed. Not only that, but you get to start your magical education in the most prestigious of institutions of the world!" He was gushing by this point, vibrating with excitement and pride- "Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" He looked at Harry in the eye, expecting some sort of reaction from him, but he immediately remembered that he had grown with muggles.

"Oh… is that good?"

"You don't quite get it Mr. Potter, it is every witch and wizard's dream to attend Hogwarts, at least those wizards from magical Britain. Why? Because it is a school of geniuses, staffed by geniuses, and with the most extensive curriculum in the world! Even more than Beauxbatons and Durmstrang!, which are the best magical schools in France and Bulgary respectively."

"So, I'm a Genius?"

"Ah, well, I might have been carried along. Don't put that sad face Mr. Potter. What I truly meant in my past statement was that all of our students are intelligent and with magical potential, and that by the end of your seventh year, you will most certainly be a magical genius, because Hogwarts makes you a genius, or you perish on the road."

"Perish?!" Harry said startled- "Is it dangerous?"

"Dangerous? Magic, in essence is neither safe nor dangerous. Hogwarts is the same. I might have exaggerated quite a bit. You won't truly perish, but you must comprehend Mr. Potter, that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is very competitive. Everyone is striving to do their best and reach the top of the top; and sometimes this leads to a few violent rivalries. While the staff of the school tries to avoid this as much as possible and puts a stop to most conflicts, there are a few that might escape our notice. Do you understand now, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes… I think so. Is the school expensive?" He was fidgeting, casting his eyes all over the place in nervousness. "I don't have any money…"

The strange man barked a laugh so loud that it echoed along the streets. "It is very expensive." He said with a huge grin on his face. Harry's face fell down on the floor, his hopes almost crushed. "But don't worry, Mr. Potter, your family was very rich, so I highly doubt you will be needing a job for a while.

"My family?"

"James and Lily Potter, you surely know who your parents were?"

"Err… I only know they died in a car crash."

The man's face turned dark, and angry, "A car crash?..." Harry was starting to get a little bit scared, which the man noticed and composed himself. "No Harry, your parents sacrificed themselves to protect you from the Dark Lord Voldemort when you were the tender age of one, whom you destroyed in a most excellent, intriguing and completely mysterious way that no one has ever been able to figure out."

Harry drew a blank; he was shocked from this revelation. Surely he couldn't have destroyed such a, what is it he called? Oh right a Dark Lord when he was just one! He hadn't even turned three! And the man said that you had to be three for accidental magic to happen! And his parents were killed! By a mad man! Not in a drunken car crash! Nothing made sense!

"I am sure you are shocked by this revelation. No one knows how it happened, because indeed you were just one, not three, so it couldn't possibly be accidental magic… could it?"

This man appeared as if he was reading his thoughts! "Er… I guess professor"

"Voldemort is a subject most of the English Wizarding world doesn't like to discuss; in fact most people avoid utilizing his name. Well, most weak and poor people anyways. Heed my word Mr. Potter, at Hogwarts we do not show fear to anything. Fear can be a tool for progress, but showing it can be a sign of weakness, and not just any weakness Mr. Potter, but the most crippling that exists. Fear what must be feared, but never be terrified of it."

Harry was starting to feel comfortable around this man. He seemed wise, energetic and passionate about everything. He was a bit scary though, the dark glint in his eyes, the imposing physical figure and the rapidness of his speech intimidated him to no end.

"On the matter of your family, the Potters were very well connected and very intelligent people. They aren't an old family, they appeared about four hundred years ago under the name of Potter, and have remained a pureblooded house ever since. They focused in herbology and potions for the first part of their family life, then went on in the realm that is transfiguration and arithmancy. The last century they decided to focus in magical theory and ancient runes. Your father, was a very good enchanter and peculiarly skilled in transfiguration, despite him not being overly powerful. He was very much like you physically, with a strong jaw, and untamable black hair. He broke pureblood tradition by marrying a muggleborn which is a wizard without any magical background. Lily Evans, first of her name, was an incredibly intelligent and talented witch, despite her background. She was a very good potioneer and herbologist, but she was incredibly good at charms. They were well on their way of being great wizards, but fate decided to keep their lives short. So you can see, Mr. Potter, that your family has always had talented people in it, which of course leads to having great jobs, and making money. While you are not as rich as a Malfoy or the Longbottoms, you have enough money to pay for Hogwarts, and certainly have several privileges that other families don't."

Harry was in awe, he had never thought his family was so great! And they were like him too! Wizards! He was certainly looking forward to living in the magical world!

"Here we are Mr. Potter"

They entered a shabby local called The Leaky Cauldron. Few wizards were in there, and the barman behind the counter barely paid attention to them.

"We are going to one of the magical gateways that lead us to certain magical communities in London."

"Magical gateways?" Asked Harry, clearly confused.

"Around a thousand years ago, magical communities all around the world decided to hide themselves from the muggles, hiding huge pieces of land and making them appear as if they didn't exist to the muggles. Some gateways were created to access what we call magical enclaves, which are purely magical areas. The world you know Mr. Potter is barely a fraction of what it actually is. Egypt is about ten times larger than what the muggles believe, as well as Brazil, Mexico, certain areas of the United States, China, India and South Africa."

"Professor, how is this all possible?"

"Magic, Mr. Potter, that is the answer to everything."

He lead Harry to the back of the Pub into a small room with a large red brick wall in the far end. The professor brought out a shiny red wood stick and tapped a few bricks in a random order. The whooshing and clicking sound of the bricks moving startled Harry into paying more attention to what was happening. While the room was rather dark and silent when they entered, it was now lit by thousands of colors and as noisy as Uncle Vernon's snores. The brick wall was now a brick archway. What was beyond it was something out of Harry's wildest fantasies: people moving around in smooth colorful robes, a few with ridiculous pointy hats, others with weird clothes that stuck to random places; flying paper airplanes moving all over the place; stores with floating objects; the air smelled cleaner, the sun shone brighter, and a myriad of aromas floated around delighting Harry's nose. In the distance Harry noticed a large white imposing building that looked like a combination between a tower and a temple

"This, is Diagon Alley, the biggest magical market in Britain. In here we will find all of your school supplies as well as anything else you might want or need. Most of the magical community refers to this place as Diagon, for Diagon Alley is just the main street. You will notice that there are not many stores in this street but that they are classy and big. That is because the main street holds the most expensive and exclusive stores that exist. The majority of the magical populace can't afford to buy on these stores, but they certainly visit them to admire what they hold."

Harry was ready to bolt and look at all the stores in a bout of childish initiative. He had never been allowed to go inside a store before and this definitely seemed like an amazing opportunity to do so!

"We are on a schedule Mr. Potter and while I would very much enjoy to satisfy your curiosity about the magical world and magic in general, I have to finish preparing my lessons since school starts tomorrow. So let's stop dawdling and start walking. Our first stop will be the large building over there, Gringotts Bank."

The trip to Gringotts was rather quiet since Harry was very busy absorbing everything around him. Madam Malkin's Robe Outfitters seemed like a cool shop; there was a mannequin at the front that courtsied to Harry and the robes seemed to sparkle with the movement! And while some stores seemed to be rather empty of costumers like The Apothecary, there was a small parlour called Fortescue's Magical Icecream that was bursting with people of all ages and classes. Harry put it in his mental To-Visit list because he had always wanted to try icecream and Dudley never let him.

They arrived to the frontstep of Gringotts bank and Harry felt dismayed at the warning at the front door. There were two short creatures in front of the door, stoic, unmoving, focused, who wore elegant golden armor and no weapons in sight.

"Goblins, they are called." Whispered the professor to Harry the moment they passed them and entered the halls of Gringotts. "Short tempered, cunning, sly, aggressive and highly intelligent. Show them respect at all times and be quick to answer. Do not hesitate in your speech and always maintain eye contact."

Harry nodded and would be the first to admit that he was a little bit intimidated by the creatures. Their hooked noses and large eyes made them seem almost comical compared to their rather short bodies, but the strength that shone through their skin and the determination they showed with every step and action made them seem ruthless, efficient and above all, powerful.

They reached a desk where a goblin sat filling paperwork. He looked up and stared at the professor straight in the eye.

"How may I help you" the goblin said. The voice wasn't as rough as Harry thought it would be. It was grave and a bit raspy but not overly different than a human's. It had a weird accent, and Harry understood that English was not his first language.

"Mr. Potter here would like to access his vault," Replied the professor

"And does Mr. Potter have his key?"

The professor took out a small golden key and handed it to the goblin, "certainly, " he said.

"Very well," said the goblin and after a few seconds of examining the key he barked in a low voice, "Griphook! Please take Mr. Potter to his vault."

A strong goblin came walking in a fast pace and started to lead Harry down a corridor when Harry asked, "Are you not coming with me sir?"

"No Mr. Potter, it is not my place to accompany anyone to their vault. It is bad etiquette and manners. I have another business to attend to while I am here so hurry along and I'll be here when you come back."

"oh… ok." Replied Harry, and he continued to walk besides Griphook. They arrived to some sort of huge dark cave and there was some sort of railway system with carts.

"Please get inside and keep all your limbs inside the cart," ordered the goblin.

Harry did as ordered and the most exciting and incredible trip he had ever had in his life started. The cart zoomed by all the different vaults. They were about to pass through a huge waterfall and Harry flinched in anticipation of getting wet. Nothing happened and the goblin smirked at Harry's reaction. The cart stopped in front of a vault numbered sixty-eight.

"Vault #68, Potter family. Please call my name when finished." Said the goblin while he inserted the key and opened the door. He handed Harry a small leather pouch. "Put the coins inside," he said and left.

Harry entered the vault and was amazed at the amount of gold inside. Piles of golden, silver and copper coins hugged the walls of the vault. At the end in a golden frame was a painting of an old man sitting in a chair. "Arcturus Potter" it read at the bottom.

Harry quickly put some golden and silver coins inside his pouch and called for Griphook to take him out. The trip back wasn't as exciting although Harry swore that he saw a flash of red in the distance. As soon as they reached the front counters Harry saw the professor walking rapidly towards Harry.

"Had fun, Mr. Potter? Got everything you need?"

"Yes!"

"Very well, let us move on then. Thank you for your services master Griphook." Griphook did a very small bow in response and quickly left into the depths of the bank.

They moved through all the stores and quickly bought Harry's supplies. Several rolls of parchment, red and black inks, quills and two diaries were their first purchases. They later moved on to Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions. Harry was given a full wardrobe and he was very impressed with all the details that framed his robes; the formal robes were incredibly pretty and formal yet very simple. A blond boy was sitting, waiting for some package and his parents and sent a nod towards Harry when he was on his way out. The Apothecary was an interesting experience and Harry was fascinated with all the things inside the shop; slimy, smelly, large and small things littered the shop in jars of several sizes and materials. The book shop was very fancy, all books lined up in glass bookcases.

It was the wand shop that intrigued Harry the most. It was dusty and dark, with a sense of gloom, but to Harry's senses it was saturated with magic. His nerves were bursting with excitement and energy, he felt as if he could do everything, anything! He was barely surprised when a man with the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen tried to startle him from behind. Harry turned around and he saw the man too was filled with energy, however on his face showed a little bit of disappointment, but a lot of curiosity.

"Most people are startled when they come into my shop. It seems to me, Mr. Potter, that you are not most people. Interesting… very interesting. I am Olivander, at your service Mr. Potter. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I need a wand sir." Said Harry timidly.

"Certainly… very well. Let us see which wand chooses to be your partner." Said Olivander, and he walked to the back of the shop to return with a polished wooden box, he opened it and brought out a wooden stick that gleamed when exposed to light. "Fourteen inches, dragon heart string, rigid, excellent for transfiguration. Give it a wave" Harry gave it a wave and nothing seemed to happen. Ollivander took the wand out of Harry's hands and repeated the process with many wands. Just as Harry was getting exhausted by all the wand waving and no results he came back with another box, "Perhaps this one will do the trick. Eleven inches, Holly and Phoenix feather core, an excellent wand for anything and everything." Harry grasped it and golden sparkles shot out of it in a most impressive display of miniature fireworks. "Ah! Excellent! That will be 80 galleons Mr. Potter. Treat your wand carefully, and remember that it is the wand that chooses the wizard, not the other way around."

When they left the wand shop they walked back into the pub and Harry rented a room. He was about to go upstairs when he remembered he was being chaperoned by the professor.

"It's alright Mr. Potter, go on. You must be exhausted, I certainly am. It has been a long while since I've accompanied a student for his schooling needs. Tomorrow ask the bartender Tom to take you to platform 9 ¾ for the Hogwarts train and bring all of your things with you. We'll be seeing each other quite often Mr. Potter, so don't forget me."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"You never told me your name."

"Ahh… that is because you never asked. My name is Thomas Riddle."

* * *

A/N. Welcome to my first story. I'll try and update at least once a week, but my life is busy and it might not be possible. Review!


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